After class, students spread out across the schoolyard, laughing and playing in little groups. Takeshi and his two closest friends, Haru and Emi, sat together under the shade of a tall tree.
"Hey, Takeshi," Emi asked with a small pout, her voice tinged with sadness, "why don't you tell us about the river incident? Don't you consider us your friends?"
Takeshi scratched his cheek nervously. "It's not like that. I just didn't want you guys to worry, that's all. That's why I kept it quiet."
Before Emi could respond, Haru crossed his arms dramatically. "I get it, Takeshi. I'm your best friend, so you probably just forgot to tell me. Emi's just the sidekick anyway."
"What?!" Emi's eyes welled up with tears. "No way! I'm Takeshi's best friend—you're the sidekick! Your quirk is useless. All you can do is make wind from your legs. You can't even fly. You just… hop around like a monkey!"
Haru's face turned red. "At least I'm not useless like you! You can only see through walls. That's just creepy—you're basically a pervert!"
The two children burst into tears at the same time, glaring at each other through their sniffles.
Takeshi, though only eight, sighed like a weary adult. Why do I have to babysit these two? He patted both of their shoulders gently.
"You're both wrong," he said firmly. "Neither of your quirks are useless. Haru, your speed and jumping can save people in emergencies—imagine reaching somewhere faster than anyone else. And Emi, your quirk is amazing for search and rescue. It can help people who are stuck in disaster stricken area or could help heroes or even the police find villains hideout locations."
The two kids blinked at him, their tears drying up as they listened. Slowly, Haru rubbed his nose and muttered, "Takeshi-san… you're so smart. You always come first in class. You'll definitely be the future Number One Hero."
"Takeshi-san is the most awesome!" Emi chimed in with a bright, innocent smile.
Takeshi turned bright red under their praise. "O-okay, enough of that! Our next class is gym—we'll get to practice our quirks. What do you two think about our new teacher?"
"Mr. Satoshi Tanaka?" Haru frowned. "He's super strict. I think he's gonna fail me…"
"I think he's nice," Emi countered cheerfully. "He gave me tips in our last class."
Before Takeshi could respond, the bell rang. He stood up quickly. "That's the bell! We'd better run, or we'll be late."
The students lined up in rows on the field. Mr. Tanaka stood before them, his sharp eyes scanning the group.
"Alright, everyone," he barked. "First test: run around the track. The last one standing will be the winner."
The students broke into a sprint, laughter and determination filling the air. One by one, they grew tired and dropped out, until only Takeshi and Kaito were still running.
Suddenly, the shrill sound of a whistle cut through the air. On instinct, both Takeshi and Kaito stumbled and collapsed to the ground.
"Winner!" Mr. Tanaka announced loudly. "Emi Fujimoto!"
Everyone turned in surprise. Emi, who had been standing quietly on the side, blinked in confusion. She hadn't even started running because of her poor stamina.
"Huh?!" she squeaked, embarrassed as the entire class looked at her with admiration.
Mr. Tanaka smirked. "The rest of you fell for a simple trick. Don't be fooled by distractions. Pay attention, or you'll lose in real battle."
Takeshi sat up, his face dark with embarrassment. I can't believe I fell for something so cheap. This is going to haunt me for the rest of my childhood…
Beside him, Kaito scowled. What a shameless old man. He glanced at Takeshi. "You're going to lose next time."
Takeshi just grinned, giving a mock salute. "Then you'd better try harder, my rival."
"Next test!" Mr. Tanaka called, clapping his hands. "Strength trial. Each of you will strike this log. The bigger the dent, the better your score."
Students came up one by one. Emi went first, hesitating as she clenched her tiny fist. She swung at the log—and yelped in pain as her hand bounced off.
"Teacher! I think my hand is broken!"
Mr. Tanaka crouched down and checked, then gave her a kind smile. "It's just a small bruise. Head to the infirmary later—they'll fix you right up. Next!"
After most of the students had completed their test, only three students remained.
Haru stepped forward, determination blazing in his eyes. With a loud grunt, he unleashed a powerful kick. The log flew several meters through the air.
Mr. Tanaka sighed, pinching his forehead. "Good power, but don't let your attacks lose focus. Use your strength to break the log, not launch it."
Blushing in embarrassment, Haru nodded. "Y-yes, sensei."
Then came Kaito's turn. He smirked as pieces of metal floated around his hand, forming a huge metallic fist. With a swing, he shredded the log into splinters.
Crossing his arms, he shot Takeshi a challenging glare. "Your turn. Show me what you've got."
Takeshi blinked, slightly impressed. Not bad. Stepping up, he clenched his fist and drove it straight through the center of the replacement log, cracking it clean in half.
Kaito's smirk faltered, surprise flashing across his face.
When everyone had finished, Mr. Tanaka raised his voice. "Winner of this exercise—Kaito Suzuki! Class dismissed. But remember—Takeshi, stop holding back. If you keep doing that, you'll suffer defeat like today."
The class went silent, jaws dropping at the teacher's blunt words. Even Kaito looked at Takeshi in shock before turning away, anger and confusion flashing in his eyes.
Why does it always feel like he's looking down on me? Kaito thought bitterly. His fists clenched, and without another word, he stalked back to the classroom.
_End of chapter